As the U.S. and Europe impose economic sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, and businesses such as McDonald’s and Starbucks shut down operations in the country, tech platforms must weigh a more complex equation.
Unlike certain sanctions or business closures made to primarily hurt the Russian regime, limiting access to tech platforms — whether by force or choice — could have massive effects on the Russian people and their ability to access reliable information that contradicts the Kremlin “special military operation” narrative.
“I think tech companies are different from other companies doing business in Russia, because we do have a clear interest in having them stay,” said Joanna Szostek, a political communication lecturer at the University of Glasgow. She praised Western companies in other industries for pulling their goods and services from Russia, but said it doesn’t work the same way when it comes to services such as social media and search engines.
In many ways, the tech industry is facing a new version of the fundamental dilemma it’s grappled with for years: the balance between connecting disparate parts of the world and risking the spread of disinformation.
Though some in Ukraine have called on tech companies to stop services in Russia to oppose the war, experts in internet freedom and Russian censorship say such action could be counterproductive. For truth to prevail inside Russia, platforms may have to take calculated risks to maintain their services in the country, experts say.
“I think there’s a very strong case for trying to do everything possible to keep those accessible for as long as possible,” Szostek said. “And if that means sort of continuing to do some kind of business in Russia, then so be it. Because, the idea of Russia getting completely trapped behind a sort of wall with no information at all getting through, I mean, it’s quite terrifying really, how dark that place could become.”
